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Consultancy of the Year – TELCA Awards 2016

The sun is trying its best to shine in London, on a rather chilly evening in June, as myself and 5 colleagues optimistically stroll the short distance from our hotel to the awards venue. We’ve been shortlisted for 4 out of the 12 awards at the 2016 TELCA awards (the Energy Oscars) and we are running on 45% nerves, 25% excitement, 25% pride and about 5% Dutch courage, courtesy of the hotel bar.

Last year we were over the moon to win the Most Trusted and Best Small Consultancy awards and realised that this year we were up against tougher competition in 4 highly contested categories –

Unsung Hero – Andy Kindleysides – our Innovation Engineer Business Person of the Year – Emily Groves – our MD Most Trusted Consultancy Consultancy of the Year

And the winner is…

Sumit Bose, Editor of Energy Live News and compère, had barely got the awards ceremony into full swing when a video camera swooped in on our table. It was the announcement of the Unsung Hero award and the winner is…… putting composure to one side, our table erupted on hearing Andy’s name and he made his way through the sea of hugs, applause and congratulations towards the stage.

The client who nominated Andy stated – “I’m delighted you are entering Andy for this award; in my honest opinion he deserves an OBE for his commitment, positive attitude and diligence.”

Consultancy of the Year

The ceremony progressed and we missed out on 2 categories, leading us to the penultimate award of the evening, our sweaty palms clapping all the entrants, and the winner is….. I can honestly say hearing our name being read out is one of the best moments of my working life. The past 7 years have been full of sweat, tears and plenty of hard work from all of us, making Indigo Swan what it is today, and being recognised for it is fantastic.

How do we feel?

“I have never been prouder of a company I have worked for and to be recognised as one of the best within our industry is a testament to all the hours of hard work that have been put in and confirmation that we are doing things in the right way.” James G

“We really care about what we do and it’s wonderful to be recognised for it.” Hannah

“Each Swan brings their own skills and strengths to the team and when you mix them all together you create an amazing award winning company.” Leanne

Why us?

Indigo Swan is a mix of tangible elements, that are relatively easy to replicate (a simple, transparent client report, complex but clear processes and a unique client portal), and also a great deal of intangible aspects that are unique to us. We live and breathe our values, every one of our colleagues 100% believes in our journey & we fully embrace innovation.

We are lucky that these intangible elements came right from the very core of why we started, which means they are naturally reinforced every day and shot through every activity we do. They are in our DNA, which isn’t easy to replicate. That’s the magic.

Article originally from Indigo Swan website:indigoswan.co.uk/blog/telca-awards-2016/

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Norwich Data Centre marks 10th Anniversary

UK Internet Service Provider FreeClix is celebrating its tenth anniversary of Data Centre operations at its Norwich facility.

The FreeClix Data Centre was founded in 2006 and was the first facility of its kind in the region. Considerable investment has been made in the last two years to upgrade the Data Centre. It is now provided with a fully N+1 redundant infrastructure, dual-fed substation with UPS autonomous power delivering 99.999% uptime since installation. It offers highly resilient Connectivity & Internet Transit from multiple carriers with separate points of entry. Its diversely routed BGP carrier network can provide internet transit speeds up to 1Gb. The growing number of digital services used by UK businesses and local government has boosted demand for secure spaces for them to host their physical infrastructure including servers and storage equipment that run application servers and data virtualisation.

Managing Director Pete Freeman said “Businesses are increasingly recognising the need to guard against their data loss risk as part of their business continuity and disaster recovery planning. Using a data centre enables organisations to not only deliver their IT strategy into the future, by delivering the server and storage space needed but also reducing risk and improving energy efficiency strategies.”

The seemingly unstoppable rise in cloud based services which reduces the need for businesses’ own physical storage needs has not curbed the requirement for data centre space however. Pete explains “We’re actually seeing an increase in enquiries from organisations that need off-site disaster recovery or physical data centre space for legacy systems and services that can’t be migrated to the cloud.”

“It’s a fantastic milestone to have reached and we’re looking forward to the coming months in which we shall be launching our new self-managed hosting platform.”

The FreeClix Tier 2 Data Centre is securely located in central Norwich for easy access 24 x 7 x 365. Secure, resilient data centre solutions include colocation and hosting services, internet transit, secure data storage, virtual dedicated servers and network solutions.

FreeClix is offering free installation up to the end of August 2016 to all new colocation customers (up to half a rack).

Alan Boswell Group Appointments 2016

In a move to supplement Alan Boswell Group’s insurance offering, the highly experienced Risk Management Adviser Gavin Dearsley has been appointed to support the firm’s clients with their Health and Safety and Risk Management requirements.

Gavin, who joins from NFU Mutual, will work alongside Risk Management Adviser John Neil, helping clients to reduce their potential exposure to claims.

Gavin commented: “I’m excited to be joining Alan Boswell Group at this time of growth. Providing risk management advice makes good sense for clients. By helping them to proactively manage risks we can help them reduce accidents, incidents, claims and ultimately premiums.”

John said: “I am extremely pleased to be working with an experienced and highly qualified professional like Gavin, who will help me to develop the service we offer to our clients.”

Gavin’s appointment follows that of three other employees from NFU Mutual: David Wheeler has joined the underwriting department; Michael Henderson has joined the account handling team and Sinéad Brogan has taken up a role as a Business Insurance Adviser. Kodi Burch has also joined the team as a Business Insurance Adviser having held roles at several insurance companies in the region. All four are based at the Group’s head office in Norwich.

The Group expects to see an eight percent increase in staff numbers in 2016. This will support strong growth projections, with commercial insurance forming a key area for expansion.

Chris Gibbs, Managing Director, said “We’ve seen substantial growth in the company as a direct result of winning new business. We’re anticipating similar increases this year and we’re actively looking to hire the best executives we can find.”

One such appointment sees Richard Sayer join the company as a Commercial Account Executive. He brings 24 years’ experience with him from roles with companies including Lowndes Lambert and AXA.

“Richard will complement the commercial team, bringing a wealth of experience with him, including expertise in the automotive and construction sectors,” said Chris.

The group, whose insurance division was recently named ‘Independent Broker of the Year’ at the Insurance Times Awards, is also recruiting new starters to the industry through their award-winning apprenticeship scheme.

Director of Human Resources, Gillian Anderson Brown, commented: “We’ve seen a number of apprentices successfully complete our apprenticeship scheme and becoming valuable members of the team. The programme offers hands-on experience in multiple disciplines, giving employees a chance to experience a wide range of roles and activities before specialising in a specific area.

“We’re now looking for the next intake and expect the scheme to be in high demand.”

Bigfork creates new website for Norfolk Holiday Homes

Digital Marketing agency, Bigfork, were appointed by Norfolk Holiday Homes to design and build their new website. The clientwanted a website that was more appealing with easy navigation to help increase successful user journeys. They also wanted the new website to be integrated with their holiday home booking system Supercontrol.Headon over and take a look at theNorfolk Holiday Homeswebsite.

Bigfork – we make websites stand out

t: 01603 513080

www.bigfork.co.uk

New PCC wants your views on keeping Norfolk safe

Newly-elected Police and Crime Commissioner, Lorne Green, is asking Norfolk residentsto share their views and help shape his Police and Crime Plan for 2016-2020.

Lorne’s public consultation, which closes on 12 August, is currently running online in the form of a short survey, andhe will be spending the coming weeksmeeting with people, groups and organisations across the county to gather their views on crime and policing.

Based on the feedback received to his consultation, the PCC will then develop his Police and Crime Plan,to be published in the Autumn, which will outline what hewill work to achieve over his four-year term, as well as setting out the objectives for policing, the resources that will be made available to the Chief Constable and how performance will be measured.

Launching the consultation, Lorne said: “My Police and Crime Plan will set out how we, as a county, tackle crime and disorder between now and 2020.

“In setting that plan, I must meet requirements set by the Home Secretary, such as ensuring our police have the capacity and capability to respond to threats like cybercrime, terrorism and child sexual abuse.

“I must also take into account what victims of crime, our police, partners and other agencies identify as the key issues affecting Norfolk.

“The final piece of the jigsaw, and the part that will enable me to ensure the needs of Norfolk people are considered, is the community perspective on crime and policing.

“During my campaign to become your PCC, I spoke with many people living and working in different parts of our county, and began the process of finding out about the issues of most concern to them.

“To build on what I heard, and get a fuller picture of what matters to our communities, I am asking people to share with me their views on crime and policing. Your views are crucial to ensuring the approach we take over the next four years is the right one for our county.”

To take the survey, please visit www.norfolk-pcc.gov.uk/TellLorne

You can alsoemail, telephone or write to the PCC to give your views.

Dedicated email address: TellLorne@norfolk.pnn.police.uk

Phone: 01953 424455

Postal address: Building 8, Falconers Chase, Wymondham, NR18 0WW

TVC Work Experience

Charlie has completed his work experience with TVC today and has written a blog about his week which you can read here. Along with the post are a couple of drawings he produced and some photographs taken during his week with us:

I chose to do my work experience at The Validation Centre (TVC) because I knew they do things to do with engineering which I would like to get into when I’m older. I saw it as a good place to get some experience about work and what goes on which will help me for when it comes to getting a job.

On the first day of my work experience, in the morning and up to dinner, I was helping out in the stores department with Morgan. He told me what goes on; how goods are brought in and sent out and also how to book things in and out. In the afternoon I then went into an office where Michelle told me what she does. I was taken to the photography room where she has a set up and she takes photos for the TVC website and also social media. I saw how she crops the photos using a specific editing program. I was shown by John what he does and how to design different types of equipment, or anything really, on a computer. You can do this with 3D objects as well. If you need to, you can look inside to see if everything is lined up correctly. I was then shown by Jim what he does with IT for the equipment and he was working on a piece of equipment which shows you how deep a weld is.

On the second day, to start the day off, I went into the reception and was shown what you have to do in there. You must answer the phone and put people through to the specific person they would like to talk to. You put things on the system which are being shipped out. Later in the day I helped work in the accounts area. I was placing all the files into number order and putting different invoices onto the system. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon with Louise putting jobs onto the system and invoices. All different things!

Day three has been my favourite day at TVC. I would like to be an engineer and I spent the day in manufacturing which is where they make equipment or assemble things. I spent the whole day working and I really enjoyed it. I was assembling Mini Arc Loggers (MAL III) cases so they could be ready to send out. This involved screwing the piece of equipment to the case and also screwing other pieces to the whole unit. After I had finished doing these, I started to modify small printers, these print out the results for the amps and voltage. This meant taking the plastic bottom off and taking the screws out. Through the screw holes I had to drill through to make a clear hole then by placing the metal bottom onto the printer, I had to line up the holes and put the screw through and tighten it on.

On day four I had another really good day which I very much enjoyed. I was down in the calibration department and was shown by Chris how to calibrate a MAL III and also a new piece of equipment, the MAL III (2-Channel), even Chris hadn’t worked on it before. Later in the day I calibrated the MAL III (2-Channel) so the reading for volts and amps where correct and it could be ready to send out when needed.

On my last day working at The Validation Centre (TVC) I was shown how to design a piece of equipment or any object by John. I then had a go myself and I really enjoyed it. I looked around in the office to see if there was anything else to design. I saw a pair of scissors and thought why not. I made all the different parts of the scissors so I could put them all together in the end, but as one of the sides had a slight curve in it and the other piece were straight, it meant we couldn’t put all the pieces together to finish it all off. I still had a great time learning how to do it.

Later on in the day I had a good time doing photography with Michelle. The photos that were took will be going onto the TVC website and on social media. I learnt how to properly edit photos so they look neat and tidy.

I’ve really enjoyed my week at TVC and it has helped me realised what the work day involves and what goes on. It has helped me towards a career in engineering.

Pure wins global award for its internal communication system

Pure has been presented with a global award in recognition of its outstanding track record of using its company intranet system to enhance its internal communications.

The regional recruitment firm was crowned the ‘Radically Better Organisation of the Year’ at the annual Jostle Awards. The awards are open to organisations across 159 countries which use Jostle’s People Engagement intranet as a platform to share communications with employees across the business.

The Radically Better Organisation of the Year category is seen as the overall ‘best in show’ award and is presented to organisations which have demonstrated a consistent track record of achieving employee engagement through effective internal communications. Pure received the award for organisations of 200 employees and under and the City of Vaughan in Canada received the award for organisations with more than 200 members of staff.

As Pure is located in four counties across the region, with offices in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich and Norwich, the Jostle intranet forms an integral function in enhancing employee communication. The judges commented that Pure had demonstrated how the effective use of an internal intranet can be core to an effective employee engagement strategy, especially during periods of organisational growth.

Gill Buchanan, Director at Pure, said: “Jostle has been central to underpinning and supporting our continued focus on making Pure a great place to work, with a motivated and high-achieving team. It’s important for us to have a clear way of communicating internally and we have found Jostle to be a great way of doing this. Every member of staff contributed to this award as they all use the intranet to share news and announcements, host instant group discussions and to access all of our company information.”

Pure has previously won the Jostle Award for ‘Vibrant Culture’ and has also been shortlisted in the category for ‘Highest/Most Consistent Engagement’.

Bev Attfield, Director of Tactical Marketing at Jostle, added: “Reading through the nominations this year was incredibly inspiring. We received essays, photos, and videos from so many different companies in vastly different industries. I was amazed at how these organisations were all able to leverage their Jostle intranet to improve connectivity, culture, and communication in diverse but equally valuable ways.”

For more information about the awards and to watch Pure’s acceptance speech visit the Jostlewebsite.

Peter van der Horst Appointed Managing Director, KLM UK Engineering Limited

Paris, Amstelveen, 29 June 2016 -Peter van der Horst has been appointed Managing Director of KLMUKEngineering Limited as of 1st July. KLMUKEngineering is a wholly-owned AFI KLM E&M subsidiary specialising in maintenance solutions for regional and narrow-body aircraft fleets. Peter van der Horst started his career in 1985 with Martinair were he held several operational management positions followed by: Director Cargo Operations, Director Aircraft Maintenance, Director Technical Operations and VP Maintenance and Engineering. In 2013 he moved to KLM E&M and was appointed as VP Line Maintenance.

On learning of his appointment, Peter van der Horst said: “I am very proud to be appointed Managing Director of KLM UK Engineering Limited. I hope that the knowledge acquired in my previous functions will bring a valuable contribution to KLM UK and its clients. Quality and predictability of an MRO services provider are extremely important factors for guaranteeing the operational performance of an airline. Therefore my aim is to continuously improve and adapt our services to the expectations of our clients.”

Opportunity for driven graduate to start their professional recruitment career with Pure

Regional recruitment consultancy firm Pure is looking for an ambitious and driven professional to join its Graduate Training Programme at one of the firm’s four offices in Norwich, Ipswich, Cambridge or Chelmsford.

Pure launched its Graduate Training Programme in 2015 to provide career development opportunities for local graduates and to build the firm’s talent pipeline. Having already supported four graduates to begin their career in the recruitment industry, Pure is now offering another university leaver the opportunity to benefit from the comprehensive training programme.

Gill Buchanan, co-founder and director at Pure, said: “Pure is a fantastic place to start a career in recruitment. We’re committed to supporting our trainees to achieve their goals and to build a long term career with us. The role itself is challenging but offers exciting opportunities and an extensive amount of variety, with no two days being the same. People are at the core of our business and we strive to be a rewarding and positive place to work where our people are happy, supported, rewarded and motivated to go the extra mile for our customers.”

Pure is looking for top calibre graduates who are confident both working in a team and independently. The successful candidate will be degree educated and will already have some employment experience on their CV. They also need to possess excellent interpersonal skills and a natural drive to deliver first class customer service. In return they will receive 12 months of comprehensive training with the Investors in People Gold standard company, a competitive salary and benefits package and the opportunity to progress to the position of recruitment consultant.

Previous graduate trainee Ellie Steinfeldt, now a recruitment consultant specialising in HR roles, said: “Pure is a wonderful company to work for and a wonderful team to be a part of. It’s a very busy, fast paced and exiting job. I get to meet and talk to a huge range of people every day and its really rewarding to help people find jobs and to match employers with suitable candidates. You have to be prepared to work hard and put in the effort, but I promise it is worth it.”

Applications for Pure’s Graduate Training Programme close on 30 July. For more information, visithttps://www.prs.uk.com/about-us/working-with-us/graduate-training-programme-2016or contact Gill Buchanan on 01223 209888 orgill@prs.uk.com.

Pure Graduate tells us what it’s really like on the Pure Graduate Training Programme

Thinking of joining a Graduate Training Programme? Not made your mind up yet? Before you do, let Ellie Steinfeldt take you through her experience of the Pure Graduate Training Programme.

1. What did you do before coming to Pure? I studied for my BSc in Psychology at Oxford Brookes University for the three years before I started at Pure. I also did some temporary Administration work through Pure in my summer holidays.

2. How did you find out about the Pure Graduate Training Programme? I received an email from Pure asking if I, or anyone I knew, would be interested in applying for the Graduate Training Programme.

3. Why did you choose a recruitment company to do your Graduate training? And what was your decision based on? I didn’t actually know what I wanted to do after University and then when I heard about the Graduate Training opportunity at Pure I thought it sounded great. I was more drawn to Pure as a company as opposed to the fact the Graduate Programme was in Recruitment, then as I looked into it a bit more I realised a lot of my qualities and what I look for in a job matched a role in Recruitment. It is really important to me to work in a company that has strong values, a great working environment and a lovely team, so I was attracted to Pure after temping through them previously and having met some of the Norwich team.

4. What was the interview and selection process like? What types of activities did you complete? I found the interview process surprising enjoyable. First I had a phone call with Gill Buchanan, Director, to go through a bit about myself and my experience. The next stage was a psychometric test to complete and then there was an Assessment Day where I completed a number of group tasks with five other candidates and had a face-to-face interview with Abby Dillion, Learning and Development Manager, which included going through the results of my Psychometric test.

5. When did you join the Programme and how long did it last? I joined the Programme on Monday 15thJune 2015. It is difficult to say exactly how long it lasted as there hasn’t really been a point where the support and guidance from my Manager and the company in general has stopped; it has been a lot of on-the-job training. From starting, I had 12 weeks of intensive training where I learnt all about the company, how we work and the system we use; at the end of this I presented what I’d learnt so far to Gill and Abby and where I wanted to go with my recruitment desk. I then had another four weeks of less structured training which took me to my 16 Week Review Business Plan where I had to present to Gill and Caroline what I planned to do to develop my desk and myself as a Recruitment Consultant. When I reached 6 months at Pure that was when I officially became a fee earner so I had the full responsibility of a desk. However, as I mentioned above, the training and support has been on-going, for example, last week I had negotiation training with a few other team members here.

6. What role are you undertaking now at Pure? I am now a Recruitment Consultant specialising in HR roles (both temporary and permanent) including In-House Recruitment and Learning and Development/Training positions.

7. When you joined, what did your training consist of? For example, induction, workshop training, workbooks and materials you were given etc. I received an induction into the business and our values, system training, training on all aspects of the role including interviewing, CV screening, client meetings, negotiation and the initiatives we run. I also received a Graduate Training Programme workbook/folder which had summary pages for all of the things I covered and questions for me to answer on various things we covered in the training to check I understood everything (I went through my answers weekly with Abby). I was also given template sheets and step-by-step guides to support me when I was ‘on the job’.

8. What support have you been provided during your first year? I have been provided all of the support and guidance I have needed/wanted. I haven’t once felt I don’t have someone to ask any questions I might have or someone to bounce ideas off. When I first started I had weekly meetings with Abby or Gill and then also Caroline (my Manager) just to make sure I was comfortable and happy with everything and to go through anything I needed more guidance on. As time went on I had meetings slightly less frequently (every couple of weeks or so), just because they weren’t necessary as frequently. Even now I have catch ups with Caroline whenever I need to. We also have team meetings most days to go through where we are all at with everything and to check if any of us need any help on anything and a whole office meeting once a week.

9. What do you like most about working at Pure? I love the whole company ethos and the values that we all work by; I love being part of a company that adds value to the industry we are in and shows forward-thinking and initiative in how we work.I really enjoy my job; it’s busy, fast-paced and exciting, and I get to meet and talk to a huge range of people every day which is great. I also find it hugely rewarding helping candidates in their job search and clients in their search for the right candidate.Another main thing for me is that I love the people I work with; I’ve never once come across someone unhelpful or unfriendly at Pure and I am proud to be part of a company that employs people like that.

10. If you could go back in time and talk to yourself on the day you started at Pure, what two pieces of advice would you give yourself? That I will eventually get the hang of everything so not to worry and I will also remember all of the names of candidates and clients I work with, it just takes time to train your memory!

11. What was the most surprising thing you’ve experienced at Pure? Everyone is genuinely as nice as they first seem, and the company really does work by its values in everything it does.

12. If you weren’t working in recruitment what would you like to do? I think I would like to do Counselling/Therapy for soldiers suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder); I love Psychology and find it so interesting. I would love doing something where I can help and give something back to the people who give so much to our country.

13. What advice would you give to anyone thinking about joining the Pure Graduate Training Programme? I would tell them to absolutely go for it; Pure is a wonderful company to work for and a wonderful team to be part of. It’s a very busy and sometimes stressful job, so you have to be prepared to work-hard and put in the effort, but I promise it’s worth it!

For more information about joining thePure Graduate Training Programme, please contact Gill Buchanan ongill.buchanan@prs.uk.com.

Greenwood&Bell: how we got caught up in a Double Nelson

Mark Greenwood of East Anglian marketing agency Greenwood&Bell is one of the people behinda new charity cycle ride,the Double Nelson. Itstarts at Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square and finishes at Nelson’s Monument in Great Yarmouth. Along with a team of ten, Mark will pedal off after dawnon Saturday 2nd July 2016 aiming to cycle the entire 140 miles in one day. The ride is in aid of the Jubilee Sailing Trust’s STS ‘Lord Nelson’.

The Jubilee Sailing Trust own and operate the Lord Nelson and Tenacious, the only two tall ships in the world designed and built to enable people of all physical abilities to sail side-by-side as equals, resulting in experiences that really do change people’s lives.

Mark Greenwood said “A few months ago, doing the Double Nelson in one day seemed like a good idea. Now the day is getting close, the challenge looks a lot tougher! But Greenwood&Bell clients andfriendshave been really generous towards the JTS, so we will just get out there and do it!”

If anyone is able to make a donation to this amazing charity, the team would be incredibly grateful, and any support will undoubtably give themthe extra boost needed on the day when Great Yarmouth seems impossibly far away.

Chamber members can help the Jubilee Sailing Trust and STS Lord Nelson by sponsoring the DoubleNelson here

Charlie says…

We had the chance to speak with Charlie this week and to ask him some questions about his background, aspirations and advice for youngsters starting out in shooting.

Charlie attendsOrmiston Venture Academyand he told us that they are very supportive of his extracurricular activities, allowing him odd-days here and there if his shooting competitions overlap with the school week and are always interested in how he’s done. Although Charlie doesn’t shoot every evening, usually around 2 – 3 times a month he will have a training session withPhilip Thorrold Shooting Academy,he does find the balance of school work and shooting can be quite difficult to manage as he has to ensure his studies are complete during the week so his weekends are free. Whilst heenjoys hanging out with his mates and playing football with them, he doesn’t feel that he’s missing out by spending his weekends at shoots; he just says he simply prefers to be shooting.

He doesn’t have much history in the sport as such, his dad used to go pheasant shooting and took Charlie along with him when he was a young lad. His dad suggested trying clay shooting and this took Charlie on the first steps of his career. Hedoesn’t have a particular hero in the sport but does admire a few of his peers and likes to watch them shoot butwhen it comes to rivalries, Charlie and his fellow participants have a very mature attitude – they know they are in direct competition with each other but remain courteous and speak with each other throughout.

Every week Charlie is beating his personal best and is currently shooting 89/100. He says a top class shotshouldbe able to get all his targets but around the mid-90’s is more the usual and this is what he is aiming towards. As we’ve mentioned before, Charlie was approached by theEngland Shooting Teammanager and has decided to try out at the squad selection shoots this year. Charlie wants to gain experience at these so he can confidently try out for the shoots properly next year – although we think he might surprise himself this year to be honest!

In many sports, diet and exercise can be a key factor and whilst being fit and healthy will be an advantage, this is not so important when it comes to shooting. Charlie does make sure he keepssugarto a minimum before shoots and will only take water around with him during the event to keep himself properly hydrated. When asked what two things he does during training which help with his success his answer was practice, practice and practice – just shoot the target over and over again! He also said that learning to stay focused was important as there are a lot of clays released over a short period of time so you need to keep that concentration and this comes with practice.

A typical shoot day will start early; with the closest ground about 45 minutes away, he needs to be on the road to travel to his eventsveryearly. Once he’s arrived, he books in and gets hisshoot card for the event. He then sorts his equipment and just gets ready to go for it. He mentioned that he tends to talk a lot, obviously not loud enough to affect other shooters, but he finds it distracts him from his nervousness and he won’t spend the time worrying about his own shots.

Charlie can put a lot of pressure on himself, especially on what could be considered an easier target, because he feels that he should be able to and is expected to get the shot than perhaps a more difficult one. If he does mess up a round, he finds it difficult to let go and it will therefore affecting his shooting in later rounds. He has said this is something he needs to work on, to learn to let go of that frustration and move forward.

If you’re looking to take up shooting, Charlie has these words of advice for you:always try your hardest, you’re bound to improve with the more effort you put in – just never give up!